


What Family Does

by jncar



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: F/M, Gen, for rebelcaptain week on tumblr, for the prompt: Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-10-17 08:57:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10590672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jncar/pseuds/jncar
Summary: Jyn just wants to relax, but her friends have other plans.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For the rebelcaptain week prompt: Family on Tumblr. I'm mediumsizedfountain on Tumblr (mutifandom blog). (And anyone following Jagged Edges - I'm working on the next chapter. It'll be ready soon).

Jyn's shoulders ached from a four hour session training newbies in unarmed combat. It was a decent enough assignment to fill when there were no off-base missions, but she usually had to push the kids harder than she wanted to get results – which meant pushing herself, harder, too.

All she wanted was a few cold drinks from the base cantina, a hot shower, and good night of sleep (though she wouldn't object to some relaxing pre-sleep activities if Cassian was in the mood – the man could give a shockingly good back massage, and his hands were very deft in other areas as well). Her team was waiting for her. Bodhi told her they were going to celebrate their success on their last mission tonight. Why they waited three days after getting back to celebrate was beyond her, but it was a good excuse for getting a little tipsy.

When she stepped through the cantina doors, Bodhi, Chirrut, and a dozen other soldiers they'd worked with over the past year, shouted, “Surprise! Happy birthday!”

Jyn froze, every muscle in her body suddenly stiff with tension. “What the kriffing hell?”

Bodhi walked toward her holding a tray with a square cake covered in some sort of pale purple fluff that she supposed must be icing, with with the words, “Happy Birthday Jyn” piped on in shaky letters. “We all pitched in to get the ingredients, and Kes is really handy in the kitchen. He made it for you. I did the icing.” He added the final comment shyly.

Jyn's jaw dropped. What was she supposed to do now? “How did you even know it was my birthday?”

Bodhi beamed. “I had K-2 look up everyone's birthday for me. I like to keep track. We need a little extra cheer around here once in awhile.”

Jyn continued to stare at him in befuddlement. She hadn't celebrated her birthday since that last year on Lah'mu. What did adults even _do_ at birthday parties? Did they even still call them birthday parties?

“I... I...” Her throat got tight. What was she supposed to say?

Everyone's smiles began to falter.

A familiar warm figure sidled up beside her and gently squeezed her hand. “Just say thank you,” Cassian whispered into her ear.

Jyn swallowed. Okay. She could do this. “Thank you. Very much.”

That seemed to do the trick. Everyone grinned again and most of them even clapped for her. Was applause a normal birthday activity?

Cassian gripped her elbow and guided her toward the nearest table, where Baze and Chirrut sat. “Let's get a drink for the birthday girl!” Baze boomed in his loudest voice. What? Even Baze did this birthday party thing?

She managed a smile when Bodhi slid the cake in front of her and someone else handed her a drink, and when everyone looked at her expectantly she managed to stammer out a toast. “To the best team and the best friends in the Rebellion.” For some reason she felt herself choking up. Why was she practically crying over a kriffing birthday party?

There were a few whoops of approval before everyone took a drink.

Cassian leaned in to whisper in her ear again. “It's tradition for the person being celebrated to cut the cake.”

She licked her lips and nodded, looking down at the knife Bodhi had placed beside the cake and then up at the crowd, mentally calculating how many slices she would need. There were a lot of people and not a lot of cake. She gripped the knife, and made the first cut.

More applause. Did people cheer for everything at birthday parties?

Once Bodhi started passing plates of cake around things got a little easier. They weren't so focused on _her_ anymore, though a few too many friends insisted on buying her drinks. She managed to quietly pass a few of them along to Cassian or Baze. There was no way she was drinking enough to have a hangover when she had to report for duty at 06:30 hours tomorrow.

The cake was surprisingly good – Baze let her eat his, too. (“Too sweet,” he'd grumbled, shoving the plate toward her.) And once the focus of the room had dispersed, she managed to enjoy herself. Mostly.

At the end of the evening, when she rose to go she felt compelled to give Bodhi a big hug. “Thanks,” she whispered. “It's been a very long time since anyone did anything like this for me.” She felt tears rising in her eyes again and blinked them back.

He just grinned and shrugged. “This is what family does. And we're family, right?”

She couldn't help but grin back. “Yeah. I guess we are.”

Back in their room, as she was stretched out for the much-anticipated back massage, she murmured, “Do you know when Bodhi's birthday is?”

“Hmm.” Cassian pushed the heel of his palm into her shoulder and she groaned at the welcome pressure. “I don't offhand. But I'd wager that Kay does.”

“I think maybe we ought to do something for him. Y'know – that's what family does.”

He pressed his fingers into the flesh around her spine. “I think that's an excellent idea.”

She smiled into her pillow and began to wonder if Kes had more than one recipe for cake.


End file.
